🧑‍🚀A day at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: How to plan your visit, what you’ll see

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – On Florida’s Space Coast, about an hour from Orlando, you can trade roller coasters for real rockets. During my recent Daytrippers visit to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, I packed a full day with exhibits, a behind-the-scenes bus tour and even a conversation with a former NASA astronaut.

The complex is more than a collection of artifacts. It’s designed to feel like you’ve stepped into the middle of the space program, no launch ticket required.

“We are a world class education attraction here at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex,” said Howard Schwartz, the interim chief operating officer. “During a day here, you’re going to learn all things about space, NASA and their missions and NASA’s space partners.”

What to expect on a day trip to Kennedy Space Center

My day started the same way most visitors begin: walking past the Rocket Garden and into the main campus, where rockets, space shuttles and interactive exhibits are all within easy walking distance.

From there, it quickly became clear this isn’t a “look, don’t touch” museum.

“These exhibits here are really unique. You know, this is not a museum where you go and see dead stuff. Here you go and do things, you know, and our theme is discover something real,” said retired astronaut Capt. Winston Scott, U.S. Navy.

Schwartz said that balance of fun and education is intentional.

“You’re going to see world class attractions, rides and everything that NASA’s trying to do. To encourage people to learn more about space and space travel,” he said.

Gateway: “The now and next of NASA”

One of my first stops was Gateway, one of the newest attractions at the complex. The building focuses on current and future missions and includes real flight hardware suspended overhead.

“One of our newest attractions, which we’re standing in today, which is called Gateway. At Gateway, it’s the now and next of NASA,” Schwartz said. “You’re going to learn everything that you can about NASA, their missions going forward, like Artemis along with NASA’s space partners, like SpaceX, which is a booster we have right behind us. This booster actually went to space twice.”

Inside Gateway, visitors can also experience Spaceport KSC, a ride that lets you choose one of four “missions” and virtually travel to destinations such as Mars and distant exoplanets.

“Inside of there you can take one of four different journeys out into space as the space tours and then come back to Earth,” Schwartz said. “You can see everything from Mars to exoplanets, to where some of the satellites that NASA has launched in recent history have gone out into some of the planets.”

What it’s like to meet an astronaut

One of the highlights of my visit was checking “meet an astronaut” off the bucket list. At Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, that’s not a rare, one-day-only event — it’s a regular part of the schedule.

“Every single day there is a astronaut or retired astronaut that’s here, on our main campus,” Schwartz said. “You can interact with them through one of our private chats, which is called Chat with an Astronaut. And then finally, you can listen to them talk about their missions inside of our Universe Theater.”

On this visit, I met Scott. He spent 27 years on active duty as a naval aviator and seven years with NASA.

“I had the pleasure to fly to space shuttle missions,” Scott said. “I flew for nine days on board the shuttle Endeavor and then 16 days on board the shuttle Columbia.”

Scott now spends a lot of time at the visitor complex, greeting guests, leading programs and bringing other former astronauts to Kennedy.

“This is really important to me,” he said. “We get to share our experiences with the public, and we want everybody to understand and, to the best that they can, how incredible it is to fly in space — not just from a fun standpoint, but how useful it is, how space flight and space innovations benefit us here on Earth.”

Inspiring the next generation is a big focus.

“We certainly want to inspire the next generation, the young generation of kids coming up,” Scott said. “We want them to go into science, technology, engineering and math because those are the subjects that make our country as great as it is.”

Behind-the-scenes bus tour and Saturn V rocket

No visit is complete without the included bus tour. It gives guests a look at parts of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center that most people only see on TV.

During my visit, I boarded one of the tour buses to see historic facilities, the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building and the path rockets take from the VAB to the launch pads.

“Our bus tour is going to take you to two places,” Schwartz said. “It takes you to our brand new gantry and LC 39, which you can learn all about the rockets and the rocket pads. And then it’s going to take you over to our Saturn five building, where there is a real live Saturn five rocket that you’re going to learn all about the Apollo missions and everything that really brought the first Americans to the moon.”

At the Apollo/Saturn V Center, you can walk underneath a real Saturn V rocket, see the Apollo 14 capsule and even touch a moon rock.

Scott said that experience is all included with a standard ticket.

“The bus will take you all over the space center, out to the pad, out to the Saturn five center. You can walk underneath an actual Saturn five rocket. You can touch a moon rock,” he said. “I could go on and on and on and on, but it’s as easy as a click of the mouse to visit Kennedy Space Center.”

Seeing Artemis II on the launch pad

The timing of our Daytrippers visit meant we saw something special: NASA’s Artemis II rocket on the launch pad.

Artemis II is the next step in NASA’s plan to return humans to the moon. The mission will carry four astronauts around the moon and back to Earth ahead of a future landing on the lunar surface.

“The roll just happened, this past weekend for Artemis II,” Schwartz said. “We’re super excited, that right now, for a very limited time before the launch, you can actually see the rocket on the launch pad. If you go on our normal bus tour and you’re going to go to the brand new gantry at LC 39, go on to the fourth floor there, and you have an amazing view of the Artemis. The SLS rocket right on the pad.”

Scott is especially excited about what Artemis means for the future of exploration.

“Artemis is getting ready to launch the Artemis II flight,” he said. “Those four people will launch. They’ll fly all the way to the moon, orbit the moon, and then come back home. They will not go to the surface, but it’s the next step towards going to the moon. Artemis III, which is a year or two from now, will go to the moon and will put people on the moon.”

Seeing the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in person from the gantry made that next chapter in space exploration feel real and immediate.

Tips for planning your Kennedy Space Center visit

Both Schwartz and Scott recommend a little planning before you go, especially if it’s your first time.

Schwartz said the official website has sample itineraries and up-to-date information on tours and special viewing packages for launches, including Artemis.

“One of the things I would do, as a first timer is do a little bit of research, go to our website,” he said. “Our website is fantastic. It has brand new itineraries on there, all for families. It’ll explain what the day is like for you, when you come on to the visitor complex.”

Scott said the booking process is straightforward.

“Visiting Kennedy Space Center is really, really easy,” he said. “All you do is go online and go to the space center and click on what you want. You can select the day you want. You can select the passes that you want and enjoy your day. And there’s so much to see here.”

The pair also point out that it’s tough to see everything in one visit.

“There is so much to see. You can’t possibly do it all in one day,” Scott said. “I urge everybody to come and visit with us.”

Recently, the complex was recognized as a major destination based on visitor reviews.

“Just a few months ago, we were voted TripAdvisor’s No. 1 destination in the world… by public reviews,” Scott said. “It speaks to how great this place is.”

My biggest takeaway from a day at Kennedy Space Center

By the end of the day, after the bus tour, the launch simulator, Gateway and time with Scott, I walked away with a clearer sense of what the Visitor Complex is trying to do.

It’s not just about reading plaques and seeing hardware from a distance. It’s about riding simulators, standing under a Saturn V, talking to people who have actually been to space and, if you’re lucky with timing, looking out over a brand-new moon rocket on the pad.

I learned that Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex isn’t just about learning about space — it’s about experiencing it firsthand.